


then i see you (when i feel like i'm drowning)

by jessicawhitly



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23662045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessicawhitly/pseuds/jessicawhitly
Summary: She doesn’t quite know what she’s expecting the first day she walks into the table read- the only reason she’s doing this play is because Karen had practically begged her; told her she was perfect for the lead role and that she wanted them to work together again enough that Joyce didn’t even need to audition for the role. That it had been too long since they’d worked together- and when Joyce counted back, it had been probably over a decade since she’d done a Karen Wheeler play, having traveled to the East Coast and tried her hand at some off Broadway productions, staying just out of the spotlight without losing job offers.
Relationships: Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	then i see you (when i feel like i'm drowning)

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt “we’re romantic leads in a play and hey what ruined our friendship again OH YEAH THIS INSANE CHEMISTRY this isn’t awkward at all” au- Annie requested "ALL the sexual tension/angst/costars looking on with amusement", and I had a lot of fun with this! I would not be opposed to writing more, either, so let me know if you'd like to see more! Title from On + Off by Maggie Rogers.

She doesn’t quite know what she’s expecting the first day she walks into the table read- the only reason she’s doing this play is because Karen had practically begged her; told her she was perfect for the lead role and that she wanted them to work together again enough that Joyce didn’t even need to audition for the role. That it had been too long since they’d worked together- and when Joyce counted back, it had been probably over a decade since she’d done a Karen Wheeler play, having traveled to the East Coast and tried her hand at some off Broadway productions, staying just out of the spotlight without losing job offers.

And it _is_ a good play- intense and romantic and bittersweet; the kind of thing Joyce could really sink into and learn the character for. So she flies from New York to Chicago, settles into her hotel room, and chainsmokes out the window as she gazes around the familiar city.

Karen hadn’t seen fit to tell her who any of her costars were, and it makes anxiety bubble under her skin, but Joyce shoves it back down; she’d been in the theater business long enough to know most of them, and Karen recycled her casts enough that Joyce figured she’d know at least a handful of people she’d be working with.

And she’d needed to get out of New York; needed to get out of her tiny apartment that held too many memories of failed relationships. Karen had appeared with an opportunity on a silver platter, and she’d practically scooped it up, barely taking the time to properly pack her bags before she’d called a cab to the airport.

Joyce is the first person to the table read, aside from Karen; the blonde’s face lights up at the sight of her, lips painted pink and hair poofed out dramatically.

“Joyce! Oh, I’m so excited you’re here!” she says, throwing her arms around her and squeezing tightly, causing them to sway slightly. Joyce touches her back with hesitant hands, returning the hug, and offers a half-smile.

“You look great,” she offers, setting her bag down on the chair and looking around the circle of chairs. “I’m the first one here?”

“You usually are,” Karen teases, watching as Joyce pulls out her already-earmarked script, setting it on the table behind her character name’s place card. “But, before your fellow lead gets here-”

“Alright, Wheeler, will you finally stop being so tightlipped about who I’m starring in this thing with?”

Joyce feels her shoulders tense at the familiar voice that sounds from behind her and her eyes narrow at Karen, who shoots her an apologetic look before she greets the new occupant of the room.

“Jim! Your flight was okay?” Karen asks, greeting the taller man with a kiss on the cheek, but he’s too busy staring at Joyce, who in return is staring back at him, arms folded over her chest. He’s still ridiculously tall and his blonde hair is longer than the last time she’d seen him, and the blue of his eyes tugs at something low in her gut; heat spills out over her skin, and Joyce struggles to tamp it down, hating herself just a little bit for her instant reaction to James Hopper.

“It was a dream. What are you doing here?” he looks at Karen before looking back at Joyce, who huffs, rolling her eyes.

“I’m playing Olivia,” she gestures to the name card with a flourish. “Let me guess- you’re playing Milo?”

There’s a pause, and Hopper nods slowly, his eyes narrowing as he turns back to Karen once more.

“So this is why you wouldn’t tell me who my co-lead was, isn’t it?” he asks, and the blonde merely shrugs, tossing her hair over her shoulder carelessly.

“Well, it’s too late to back out now and the last play you two did was a roaring success, so I guess you’re stuck working together,” is all she says, and before either of them can reply the door opens again, more people beginning to stream into the room.

Joyce recognizes most of the faces, but there are a handful of new ones that Karen introduces her to, though it’s all a bit of a blur as she struggles to juggle the introductions, watching Hopper out of the corner of her eye, and the kernel of anxiety that begins to situate itself in her chest as the group finally settles in the circle of chairs. Her seat is to the right of Hopper’s, Karen sitting her leads beside each other, and Joyce can’t help but roll her eyes as she takes her seat.

To her left is a chatty man named Sam Owens, who’s playing her father in the play- he seems nice enough, introducing himself and shaking her hand with a genuine smile. Joyce feels some of the anxiety abate, and takes a breath as she opens the script up, fingers smoothing the pages out. Hopper flops down next to her, large frame sprawling out in the chair, and Joyce feels her heart rate pick up, forcing her to swallow hard, her nails digging into her palm.

“Starting at the beginning is boring, right?” Karen crinkles her nose in amusement, looking around the table from her spot at the top of the circle, before clapping her hands. “So! Let’s open up to Olivia and Milo’s scene on page 70, shall we?”

Joyce’s eyes widen, knowing exactly what scene Karen wants them to start with, familiar enough with the script at this point. It’s a passionate love confession that ends with an equally passionate kiss, and Joyce feels color flare in her cheeks as she thumbs through her script to find the proper page.

“Blushing already, Horowitz?” she shoots Hopper a glare when he teases her, finding him grinning with his tongue stuck between his teeth.

“Bite me, Hop,” she challenges, pushing her sweater sleeves up and reaching up to twist her hair off her neck, tying it up in a bun. She feels his gaze linger and gains a sense of vindication as she leans over the table.

“Joyce, why don’t you start- top of page 70?” Karen directs, and Joyce nods, eyes finding the spot, and takes a moment to block out the rest of the room. She allows herself a moment to sink into the character, falling into the world of the play and letting everything else drift away until all that existed was Olivia and the script.

It strikes her, as she starts reading the lines and Hopper fires them back at her, that they’re _good_ at this, and there’s a reason Karen had wanted them for this play- enough that she’d omitted their involvement to each other so that they’d commit the next eight months of their lives to this show. The last play they’d done, over a decade ago, had been much the same- a play full of heightened tension that had only been fed by their off-stage friendship.

They fall into an easy rhythm, the back and forth flow of their characters blending easily as the pages flip until they’ve gone through nearly six scenes, until Karen calls cut, pulling them back to reality.

“Well, damn, Horowitz. Almost felt like the old days for a minute there,” Hopper’s voice is quiet, and Joyce looks at him out of the corner of her eye, biting the inside of her cheek.

“You weren’t trying to look down my shirt, so was it really the old days?” she arches an eyebrow, and Hopper lets out a laugh that’s more of a bark as he sat back in his chair, his head falling back slightly. “Maybe this play won’t be a total disaster after all.”

She meets Hopper’s gaze fully, stomach clenching at the overwhelming blue she’s suddenly faced with.

Oh, she was _screwed_.


End file.
